Examples

Some countries - notably South Africa - are loath to buy or distribute low-cost drugs, such as zidovudine and nevirapine, that have been shown to slash the risk of mother-to-child transmission through birth or breast-feeding by up to two-thirds.

Therefore countries should progressively phase out the use of stavudine as a preferred first-line therapy option and move to less toxic alternatives such as zidovudine (AZT) or tenofovir (TDF), WHO recommended.

Treatment options include a one-month course of zidovudine (AZT) during the last weeks of pregnancy or a single dose of nevirapine during delivery followed by a single dose to the infant within 72 hours of birth.